Sarah Winshall is an independent producer championing personal films with unique worldviews. In 2016 she co-founded Smudge Films with writer/director Bridey Elliott. Since then, Smudge Films has produced films that have screened at Sundance, SXSW, Rotterdam, and AFI Fest.
Biography from TMDB.
- Producer, also actor
- 11 on MovieCove · 27 credits in all
What are Sarah Winshall's films like?
Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 2 · Wry 1 · Earnest 8
Light 5 · Serious 5 · Dark 1
A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 6
Gentle 2 · Charged 5 · Intense 4
Steady 3 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 3
Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 1
Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
A split, not a type: Casual 2 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 6
A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 5
Resolved 2 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 6
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet8
- Ambiguous3
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Sarah Winshall's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 11 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (5).
Subscription and free streaming for Sarah Winshall's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
27 credits, 11 with a MovieCove page.
Sour Minnows(2026)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Maddie's Secret(2025)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
By Design(2025)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Joybubbles(2026)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Dream Team (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Nell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Good One(2024)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Ladies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
I Saw the TV Glow(2024)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Give Me Pity!(2022)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Side Hustle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
Strawberry Mansion(2021)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
The Feeling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
The Starr Sisters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
The Follower (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Clara's Ghost(2018)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
Las Sandinistas!(2018)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Call Your Father (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Whiskey Fist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Men Don't Whisper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Affections (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Dolphin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Funny Pages (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Seems Nice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Time and Space (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Traum (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 27 titles, 22 of them dated from 2016 to 2026.
Biggest box office
I Saw the TV Glow (2024)
Highest rated
Las Sandinistas! (2018)
Most popular right now
I Saw the TV Glow (2024)
Film career
- 2021Screen debut· Strawberry Mansion
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
1 major award from 2 major nominations, 2025.
- Independent Spirit Award, won
- Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Feature
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Sarah Winshall's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 65th percentile, the median of all 11; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 72nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th6
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 11 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved1
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Mixed5
Reviewers score the acting 63/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 46. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Sarah Winshall's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Sarah Winshall work with?
People who share at least 2 of Sarah Winshall's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Allison Bunce shares the most, 3.
Directors
- Amanda KramerShared titles: By Design (2025), Give Me Pity! (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Amanda Kramer
- Jane SchoenbrunShared titles: I Saw the TV Glow (2024), We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Jane Schoenbrun
Actors
- Conner O'MalleyShared titles: Maddie's Secret (2025), I Saw the TV Glow (2024)See all 2 shared titles with Conner O'Malley
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Benjamin ShearnShared titles: By Design (2025), Give Me Pity! (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Benjamin Shearn
- Bryan ScaryShared titles: By Design (2025), Give Me Pity! (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Bryan Scary
- Giulio CarmassiShared titles: By Design (2025), Give Me Pity! (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Giulio Carmassi
- Patrick Meade JonesShared titles: By Design (2025), Give Me Pity! (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Patrick Meade Jones
Producers
- Allison BunceShared titles: Joybubbles (2026), Sour Minnows (2026), Good One (2024)See all 3 shared titles with Allison Bunce
- Todd RemisShared titles: Joybubbles (2026), By Design (2025), Strawberry Mansion (2021)See all 3 shared titles with Todd Remis
- Riccardo MaddalossoShared titles: By Design (2025), Good One (2024), Give Me Pity! (2022)See all 3 shared titles with Riccardo Maddalosso
- Kyra Nicole RogersShared titles: Joybubbles (2026), By Design (2025)See all 2 shared titles with Kyra Nicole Rogers
